Russo-Turkish War of 1805
The Russo-Turkish War of 1805 was the fourth Russo-Turkish war fought in 100 years, occurring between April and October 1805. The war began when the Ottoman Empire declared war on the Austrian Empire, an ally of the Russian Empire, and the Russians intervened on behalf of their allies. They were able to overrun Moldova & Bessarabia and Wallachia quite easily, and they moved south to defeat Ottoman forces before peace was restored in July. However, Prussia paid Russia to resume the war, and Russia won the war after overrunning Wallachia and sacking the Ottoman capital of Istanbul. Background ]]The Ottoman Empire and Russian Empire had a long history of war starting in 1700 when Sweden made an alliance with the Turks against Russian expansion; Russia overwhelmed Turkey's Crimean Khanate allies. They fought three wars with Russia in the 1700s: the Great Northern War (1700-1721), the First Russo-Turkish War (1768-1772), and Second Russo-Turkish War (1787-1792), all of which led to Ottoman defeats. The Ottoman Empire suffered heavy losses in all three wars, and gave territorial concessions to Russia after the last war. Russia and the Austrian Empire formed an alliance in 1756 during the Seven Years' War against Prussia, and maintained their alliance into the 1787 war, where Russia and Austria launched a joint attack on Ottoman-held possessions in the Balkans. The Ottoman Empire became enemies of the two Christian powers, whom they rivaled for control of the Balkans. They were further weakened by defeat at the hands of the Republic of France in 1798 during the Egypt Campaign of General Napoleon Bonaparte, but when Napoleon formed the French Empire in 1803 and shaped France into a multinational empire, the Ottoman Empire allied with him against Russia and Austria. As belligerents on the side of Napoleon during the Napoleonic Wars, the Ottoman Empire responded to Austria's invasion of Bavaria in 1805 with a declaration of war. Austria was joined in the war by Prussia, Sweden, Naples, and Sicily, and Russia hung on the fence. They had already planned to seize Finland from Sweden to settle old scores, as France was some distance away from Russia. However, the Ottoman cities in the Balkans were poorly-defended and without settlement fortifications, so Russia built an army under Mikhail Semenovich Vorontsov in Galicia & Volhynia in preparation for an invasion. There was also the army of General Fyodor Fyodorovich Buxhoewden, who had a standing army before the war even began. The Ottoman declaration of war on Austria was thus followed by a Russian declaration of war on the Ottoman Empire, and Russia mobilized their forces. Sultan Selim III of Turkey built up armies in Rumelia in preparation for war, although his Balkan cities had no major armies defending them. = War = First War, May-July Conquest of the Balkans ]]General Vorontsov's army of 4,400 troops invaded Moldova & Bessarabia (present-day southern Ukraine and Moldova) in early April, and laid siege to Iasi. The Russians took the city by storm with 870 losses, taking the region for themselves. They moved on to Bucharest in late May after linking up with reinforcements from Little Tatary, mainly militia. Vorontsov laid siege to Bucharest, now having nearly 7,000 troops, and faced only 6,000 Ottoman militia. Colonel Dilman Huseyin surrendered rather than waste lives, and Russia occupied the city. Russia had satisfied their territorial ambitions, but had to ensure that they would be defended. Vorontsov split his army between the two cities, making sure that they were well-defended. General Fyodor Fyodorovich Buxhoewden took command of the campaign, bringing 5,000 troops into Wallachia to continue Vorontsov's expedition. March on Istanbul ]]Tsar Alexander I of Russia wanted to pressure Sultan Selim III into a peace treaty, so he ordered Buxhoewden to march on the Ottoman capital of Istanbul. The Ottoman general Hafiz Hasan marched north with almost 16,000 Ottoman troops to meet the Russian army just west of the port of Burgas at Nevestino in late May, and the battle of Nevestino proved decisive. The Russians, with experienced troops, were better quality than the Ottoman Orta mob militia, and the Russians crushed the Ottoman army, which withdrew to the port of Burgas. Buxhoewden defeated the Ottomans again at the First Battle of Troyanovo in early June, all but annihilating Hassan's army. Only a few units remained in Burgas, and the general Bostancibasi Hayreddin and 11,000 Ottoman troops marched north to relieve the army there. Faced with a new threat with only 5,200 troops left, Buxhoewden took a large risk in engaging the enemy in another battle at Troyanovo days later. The Ottomans were defeated again, with 9,760 losses, and the Russians confirmed their victory. Sultan Selim, desperate, decided to make peace at long last. Russia gained 900 dinars and was able to keep their conquest of Moldova & Bessarabia, but had to give Wallachia back to the Ottomans. The war was a large drain on Ottoman resources and manpower, and they lost 237,991 Orthodox Christian citizens to Russia. Interlude ]]Russia's two armies in Ottoman territories withdrew to friendly grounds in Moldova & Bessarabia, and General Vorontsov moved his army to garrison Iasi. Buxhoewden received reinforcements from Little Tatary and from Moldova & Bessarabia, gaining a full army of over 10,000 troops. Russian conservatives lobbied for a new war in order to solve the economy problems that came with making peace and maintaining large armies. Russia's armies were ever-vigilant, so security was not a problem; however, it was the need for security that cost them money. Prussia and Austria and their allies were still at war with the Ottoman Empire, although the Turks did not act against their opponents; they were still crippled by their losses. King Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia paid Russia 780 Reichsthalers and promised to declare war on the French Empire if Russia resumed their war on the Ottoman Empire, and Russia, whose general Mikhail Kutuzov was fighting unsupported in northern Italy, needed a new ally on the western front. They agreed to terms and declared war on the Ottomans. Second War, August-October Recapture of Wallachia Russia had given Wallachia back to the Ottoman Empire after the first war, but the Ottomans had neglected to boost the defenses of the city. General Buxhoewden and an army of 10,200 troops marched into the disputed territory and laid siege to Bucharest, facing 7,650 Ottoman troops. The Russians allowed Etci Rauf to surrender and granted them free passage out of the region, but only two units left (the rest were militia that were raised only in the occasions of sieges). The Sinking of the Boris ", a Russian sloop, sunk in 1805]] The Russian Navy was re-formed on the orders of Tsar Alexander I to take control of the Black Sea from the small Ottoman navy in the seas, and he mandated the construction of a fleet of five ships. One of them, "Boris", was built three weeks before the others, and since the Ottomans had no major fleet, Alexander sent "Boris" to lay siege to the port of Burgas. However, Ottoman sloop "Kilik Reais" was in dock there, so "Boris" was ordered to retreat. "Kilik Reais" pursued "Boris" into the middle of the Black Sea and battle began between the two ships. "Boris" attempted to board "Kilik Reais", but was too eager and reckless and "Boris" was holed and sunk. The sinking of "Boris" in an even-matched battle caused a collapse of Russian morale, as the battle proved that the Ottomans could win at sea without any advantage. The Russians made a navy under Fyodor Fyodorovich Ushakov soon after, controlling the sea. Istanbul Campaign ]]Despite the loss of "Boris", the Russian war resolve was better than ever; the battle was more of an embarassment than a defeat. The Russian general Buxhoewden and his 8,300 Russian troops occupied the port of Burgas to stop the production of Ottoman ships, but two Ottoman armies under Sinan Baghdadi and Isa Sirri totalling 20,800 troops moved in to besiege the Russians. The Ottomans had the strategic advantage, but their tactics were off, as they had only militia to fight. The Russians were strong troops, and although they were fatigued, they managed to defeat the Turks and the Ottoman armies were destroyed and generals killed. In October, the Russians laid siege to the Ottoman capital of Istanbul. The Russian army, now having 5,100 troops, proceeded to face around 20,000 Ottoman troops. However, the Russians were determined to force Selim III to reconsider his failure to surrender. At that time, Russian diplomats were sent to the Sultan to negotiate peace terms. Sultan Selim was presented with an offer: he would give all of his military technology to Russia in exchange for Wallachia. He brazenly refused, and the Russian army assaulted and captured Istanbul, killing all of the defenders. The Russians also sacked the city, taking 18,757 dinars and retreating. Selim III agreed to peace terms shortly after, regaining Rumelia in exchange for a peace treaty. Postwar Settlements The Ottoman Empire regained their capital, while Russia held onto Moldavia & Bessarabia and Wallachia. They had 769,324 Orthodox Christians that once lived under Ottoman rule, but many were well-treated by the Ottomans. In March 1806, Russia gave Wallachia back to the Ottomans in exchange for the technology. Category:Wars